UPDATED:
Highway 5A at Stump Lake should reopen to single-lane traffic on Friday morning, according to the Ministry of Transportation.
The highway maintenance contractor, Yellowhead Road and Bridge, is making “good progress” on addressing flooded sections of the road, the Ministry says.
It was shut down on May 4 because of flooding at Stump Lake, which has no natural outflow.
The Ministry says there are three spots on Highway 5A that are below the maximum water level of Stump Lake, and it says design work is going on right now to realign those sections of highway and raise the road above the maximum lake level.
“The project was anticipated to move toward construction during the summer of 2021, subject to funding availability,” MoT spokesperson Danielle Pope tells NL News.
Pope says the lake had not flooded across Highway 5A “in years,” but says it’s now flooded in three straight years. She says that’s a result of larger flows into the lake in those years.
Thompson Nicola Regional District emergency program coordinator Kevin Skrepnek also acknowledges it’s been a trying few years for people in that area.
But he says closing the highway last week was right call.
“Definitely based on that water level, I think it was the right decision in terms of public safety. It was just simply far too high. And also we were starting to see lots of debris getting into that area.”
For now, thru traffic on Highway 5A is being asked to use the Coquihalla instead between Merritt and Kamloops.
(Photo: Twitter, @YRBNicola)
#BCHwy5A construction at Stump Lake is going well. Making progress everyday with lots of equipment on site. 3 excavators and 14 trucks out there today! Just a reminder, there is no through traffic on Highway 5A, please take the Coquihalla for a detour. pic.twitter.com/6jKg3XXLrh
— YRB Nicola Ltd (@YRBNicola) May 12, 2020